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Transcript

President Bush visits China

AM Archive - Thursday, 21 February , 2002 00:00:00

Reporter: Tom O'Byrne

ELEANOR HALL: On this day 30 years ago it was Richard Nixon meeting Mao Tse-Tung and a handshake that changed the world.

By comparison, today's meeting between George W. Bush and Jiang Zemin may not be so significant but it does cement a dramatic improvement in relations, particularly since last year's spy plane incident. However, as China correspondent Tom O'Byrne reports, Beijing's unease about the side effects of the war on terrorism may yet skew the rapidly improving relationship.

TOM O'BYRNE: Given the roller coaster ride of the sino-American relationship in the past few years, the lead-up to this latest summit between Presidents George W. Bush and Jiang Zemin has been extraordinarily polite.

There's been no anti-American outbursts in the Chinese papers, no strident rhetoric over Taiwan and no commentaries outlining China's concerns about national missile defence. In fact, say Western diplomats briefed on China's plans, the opposite has been the case.

Even the potentially explosive issue of listening devices found last year on a VIP plane built in the US for President Jiang has failed to ignite anti-American sentiment, at least in public and at least for the time being.

On the surface meanwhile, the Chinese are leaving nothing to chance for Mr Bush's 30 hour stop that marks 30 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Security is oppressive. Known political and religious dissidents are under virtual house arrest and a watch has been put on potential embarrassments like Falun Gong protesters.

Bates Gill from the US policy think tank, the Brookings Institution sees little substance emerging from the talks.

BATES GILL: It's better, I think, to see it as a step forward, some progress but of course coming from a relatively low threshold and occurring at a time when the two countries still have a lot of differences over some very large issues.

If anything the post September 11 environment puts the questions of China as a longer-term challenge to American interests on the backburner.

TOM O'BYRNE: But beneath the effusive greetings and the recent partnership in the fight against terrorism, China is worried at the way the US campaign is unfolding.

For the US, say some American policy analysts, the events of September 11 helped push the so-called China threat into the medium and long term but in contrast, say academics like Zhang Yunling from China's Academy of Social Sciences, China's concern over the US military build-up have intensified.

ZHANG YUNLING: If you draw a map, there is a segment around China, military presence in Japan, in South Korea.

TOM O'BYRNE: For now though, both sides look like wanting to use the changed circumstances and healthy economic links to build depth and warmth back into a relationship bruised by issues like arms-control, Taiwan and last year's Hainan spy plane incident.